Calling Bullshit on Social Media

Calling Bullshit on Social Media

Larry Bruce makes reference to the following content in a recent blog he posted titled "The Social Media Manifesto" suggesting that every member of the ADM Community should read through the list of social media content posting, commentary guidelines and recommendations before making their next post or comment... We agree 100%!

There are tools. There are people who use the tools. And then there are people whoaretools. Know the difference.

Ass-kissing will get you anywhere, but where is that, exactly? Where do you actually want to go from Thinklong-term. there?

Speaking of long-term, “asshole” is not a long-term strategy. Neither is “edgy” or “off-putting.” What do you really want to achieve? And for how long? Build a strategy on that.

The vast majority of what happens in social media happens where you can’t see it. Don’t be fooled by what you think you see — it’s only a shadow of what’s really there. Pay attention to what, and who, is missing from the conversations.

Also, remember that what you think is private isn’t guaranteed to be. As Hugh Prather once said, “Live as if everything you do will eventually be known.” (Because it likely will be, and soon.)

For all the stories and panels and lovefests about how social media is, well, a lovefest, I suspect that just as many relationships (personal and professional) have been broken by social media as made.are other forms of communication, you know (but only marginally more secure). And if you’re not comfortable with what you’re doing being made public? Yeah, don’t do it. Would you be comfortable with that DM being public? If not, don’t write it. There

Everyone is in this for themselves at some level. Some people do that by taking others down. Some people do it by building people up. Some people act like they’re building people up, when really, they’re just assigning you a debt you’re not aware of, and expect you to repay. Understand intent – yours and theirs.

A lot of this is just a game. The rules aren’t very hard to learn. But there is more than one set of rules. Do you know which set you follow? Do you know which set they do?

Saying one thing and doing another? Also not a long-term strategy. Much better to walk your talk. Easier, too.

To quote a very good friend, “The Internet will not fix whatever happened in high school.” So move on. If there’s something about you, or about the way people interact with you, that you don’t like, change it. Complaint is tantamount to complacency. DO something.

All those people who say it’s quick and fast? They’ve got a short-term focus. If that’s yours, too — great. If not, run the other way. If you want long-term results, pay attention to those who speak in the long-term. Being human takes time.

And? Time reveals all, to those paying attention. So: pay attention.

Expertise is self-evident, not self-appointed. Beware of hyperbolic descriptors – yours or otherwise. You don’t get to say, really, what you are.Wedo. Are you listening?

Entitlement has no place here. The time people spend reading what you put out there? It’s a gift they’re giving you. What are you giving in return? Have you made it worth their while? The minute you start to feel you owe them more than they owe you? That’s probably when you’ve got the balance right.

Call it what you will — reposting, featuring, scraping — plagiarizing is a dick move. Do your own damn work. Write your own damn stuff. You’ll be more passionate about it anyway. (And won’t be exposing yourself as a charlatan.)

Bandwagons get full quickly. Start your own.

To quote another very good friend, “The plural of anecdote is not data.” Which is why case studies are pretty much useless. As are generalized prescriptions of what works. Following others’ maps guarantees you’ll be part of the herd. Stop taking direction. Set yours. Draw your own map, monsters be damned

You can’t fake human. Nor can you humanize fake. Trust that what you are, and what you do, has value somewhere, to someone. Your job is to articulate that value, and find your audience. Yes, it’s hard.Get over it.

If you haven’t done it? Please stop talking about it. You’re annoying those of us who have. Talk about what you know, not what youthinkyou know.

Happy feelings are not ROI. ROI means RETURN ON INVESTMENT. That’s it. Stop mucking it up to cover your unwillingness to actually measure things. Yes the types of return that are valuable change depending on what results you’re looking for. But if you’re not willing to be accountable, in this space or any other, get out of the game.

Social media is not a new way to sell. There’s only the old way. You just have new tools. (And, um, please refer back to #1:) Use them wisely.

Being human, and interacting like one, is hard. Automation makes some parts easier, but you still have to do the hard work. Accept it, plan for it, hire for it.

Personal and professional cross here. As Amber says, if you can’t handle that, get offline. If you don’t have a choice, then find a way to make it work for you and whoever’s writing your checks (which, if you’re lucky [i.e., you do the hard work], is also you).

Yes, there is a culture of complaint. But squeaky wheels squeak for a reason. Figure out why. They may not speak for everyone, but they speak for some, and potentially enough to bring you, or your brand, down. Find the cause, and fix it.

The rules are not different for you. If you don’t like to be spoken to, sold to, marketed to, or interacted with in a certain way DON’T DO IT TO OTHER PEOPLE. I mean, seriously. Your doing it doesn’t make it better. Or acceptable. Don’t be a user. Be of use.

Oh, and if you want success in this space? Accept what comes with it. Yes that means a loss of privacy. And yes that means people will ask ridiculous things of you. Yes that means people will try to use you. Why is that a surprise? People are people. Social media just added microphones. And cameras. And speakers. Human behavior remains unchanged.

You choose what you put out there. Don’t be surprised that people know it.

Cliques exist. You’re in one (or many) whether you admit it or not. See them. Move between them. Use them for good. But please don’t pretend they’re not there. Disingenuous isn’t sexy. Also: not a long-term strategy, either.

And what’s with all the judging? Are you truly so free of fault? I know I’m not. Remind me to list sometime all the reasons I’m a bitch / hypocritical /a lame-ass, whatever. My list of why I suck will always be longer than yours. I’ll worry the day it isn’t.

Authenticity is a state. Integrity is a mindset. Please learn the difference. You can only be what you are — even assholes are authentically so. You can only have integrity if you own whatever you are… and own up to it.

Takedowns for takedowns’ sake aren’t helpful. Neither is blind worship. You have a brain, use it. If you disagree, say so, and back it up. Question everything, but move the conversation forward.

About Tamsen McMahonTamsenMcMahon is a brand and communications strategist who consults, writes, and speaks in service of helping people and organizations make change happen. She’s the Director of Digital and Strategic Initiatives at Sametz Blackstone Associates, and (somewhat randomly) a Weight Watchers leader.

Editor's Note:We acknowledge our violation of Tamsen McMahon's guideline #16, but have emphasized source and authorship, written an introduction explaining why the list is being published here, while providing multiple back-links in a conscientious desire to provide valuable citation and public reference authority to the author.RP

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@PCMguy Larry - #19 is what makes people leave large corporations...
@ Amy Moore - If you leave a space after the @ symbol, the Twitter script is told to go back into its doghose (My scripts are Rottweilers)...
@ Deborah - I like a lot of these, but when I started reading #21 I felt like she was going to say "get the [expletive] out of the way." Of course, part of what i like, maybe more than some of the items in and of themselves, is her whole attitude... Tamsen does not have a single iota of "I hope you agree with me" in her post, it is her opinion, she stands by them and if you don't like them, well then don't read them again! I admire people that are willing to throw PC to the wind and actually express their opinions without a bunch of frosting that covers up what they really look like.

Then there's Gillon... How the heck does anyone take anything seriously when it is posted by somebody who is so ashamed of what he or she looks like that they use "Mr. Bill" for their ADM profile portrait? I mean seriously... Mr. Bill?!?!? That crap was stale when I was still in college, which was a loooooong time ago... I'll give you fun... Send me your crap-stuffed Mr. Bill doll and we'll make a Flipcam recording of the top ten best ways to mutilate one of those nasty things! I'm thinking we drop it down the elevator shaft at SkySong, have Gary Weinberg dance "She Works Hard for the Money" on top of it, then we run it up one of those 140 foot weird contraption looking things that some architect thought was cool (and expensive) out in front, put that nasty Mr. Bill doll on the 101 freeway here in Scottsdale at 5:00 to see how many times it gets run over, then take video of the scorpions going after it when we soak it with water and put it in the desert... You know, give Mr. Bill the full boat AZ torture test.

Apparently, some people are taking this stuff just a bit too seriously. I think if it's not fun and different, it must be boring and redundant, and who needs or wants that? I may not be on the cutting edge, but at least I'm ahead of the pack.

@RalphPaglia Hey, Ralph. That little script is great as long as people don't abbreviate or put things like @ and then first name, space, last name. You end up all sorts of crazy places you don't want to be when they do. :)

Rob - Short and succinct, and you got me chuckling in a very positive way... Makes me think of something Yogi Berra would say.

BTW, for those who haven't noticed, we dropped some script into ADM pages awhile ago that converts @RalphPaglia type comments and posts into live links to that twitter profile. No spaces though, it is just like on Twitter, whatever comes ofter the @ is the Twitter profile link...

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